Network throughput using multiple reed-solomon blocks
Embodiments of methods and systems are presented for generating PHY frames with multiple Reed-Solomon encoded blocks in PLC networks. In one embodiment, a MAC layer divides a data frame from a higher level into data blocks. The MAC layer may add a MAC header and/or an error-detection code to each data block. The MAC layer then passes the data blocks to a PHY layer to be individually Reed-Solomon encoded and combined into a single PHY frame for transmission on a PLC network. In other embodiments, the MAC layer passes a single data frame to the PHY layer, which divides the MAC data frame into segments to be individually Reed-Solomon encoded. The individual Reed-Solomon encoded segments are combined into a single PHY frame for transmission on a PLC network.
1. A method, comprising:
performing, by a power line communication (PLC) transmitter device,
generating a PHY frame comprising two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks;
transmitting the PHY frame on a PLC network to a receiver;
receiving a media access control (MAC) frame at a PHY layer of the PLC transmitter from a MAC layer; and
dividing the MAC frame into the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks at the PHY layer, wherein a MAC header from the MAC frame is present in each of the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a PHY error-detecting code to each of the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks.
3. A method, comprising:
performing, by a power line communication (PLC) transmitter device:
receiving a data frame at a media access control (MAC) layer from a higher layer of the PLC transmitter;
dividing the data frame into two or more MAC data blocks;
adding a MAC header and an error-detecting code to each of the two or more MAC data blocks; and
creating the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks from the two or more MAC data blocks.
4. A power line communication (PLC) transmitter device coupled to a PLC network, comprising:
a forward error correction (FEC) encoder configured to receive MAC data from a media access control (MAC) layer, the FEC encoder configured to:
generate Reed-Solomon encoded blocks from segments of the MAC data using a Reed-Solomon encoder;
combine two or more of the Reed-Solomon blocks into a PHY frame for transmission to a PLC receiver;
receive a data frame at a media access control (MAC) layer from a higher layer of the PLC transmitter;
divide the data frame into two or more MAC data blocks;
add a MAC header and an error-detecting code to each of the two or more MAC data blocks; and
create the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks from the two or more MAC data blocks.
5. The PLC transmitter of claim 4 , further configured to:
receive MAC data at a PHY layer from a MAC layer; and
divide the MAC frame into the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks at the PHY layer.
6. The PLC transmitter of claim 5 , further configured to:
adding a PHY error-detecting code to each of the two or more Reed-Solomon encoded blocks.